United Provinces of Connorianople
The United Provinces of Connorianople (commonly known as the UPC, the United Provinces or simply Connorianople) is an interstellar polity within the Nationsverse. Originating from the Solar System world of Terra, the United Provinces at present comprises nine sovereign star systems spread across the Milky Way's Orion Spur, in addition to the original homeland within the Terran Atlantic continent of Aels. These, in addition to numerous colonies, military fortreses and research habitats located across Terra and the stars are collectively known as the Connorianoplian Realm. The Aelian homeland of what would be Connorianople was originally home to the ancient Diimortalians, an unusually advanced yet enigmatic prehistoric hominid civilization. While the civilization itself disappeared under mysterious circumstances in approximately 11,000 BC, relics, guardians and descendants of the Diimortalians survived to influence the development of various immigrant peoples that settled in their wake. The resultant polities: the Kaharian ng Bathalana, the Democracy of Karenelipolis-Markovinius, the Basileia Corvinus, and the self-governed colony of New Gloucester, were eventually unified in 1857 AD, following the War of the Cousins, into the Republic of Connorianople. The Constitution of the Republic ratified in 1893 AD was arguably the first of its kind in the continent of Aels, guaranteeing many civil liberties and freedoms (even those that would only be seen in the larger world in the 20th Century, such as equality for women). While the Republic flourished in the early half of the 20th Century, increasing corruption and political unrest would result in the War of the Presidents of 1949 which dissolved the Republic. The United Provinces was formally established in 1950 AD, following the War of the Presidents. Since this time, the United Provinces has grown to become a formidable power, both within Terra and the larger galactic stage. Possessing one of the top 10 economies within the Nationsverse, the United Provinces is also one of the most technologically advanced civilizations within the Milky Way, being highly competitive in many fields and disciplines while holding total or near-exclusive mastery of certain more esoteric technologies. The United Provinces currently prefers to engage in trade and open diplomacy and has taken a semi-isolationist stance on galactic affairs; however it does possess a potent military which stands ready to defend and/or enforce Connori interests should it be necessary, and its leaders will not take any infractions against Connori sovereignty lightly. Etymology Connorianople as a name to refer to the nation was first used in the 1857 Treaty of Archipelagic Union, which formally united the four original nations of the Northeast Archipelago of Aels, and is named so by and in honour of Connor Constantine la Corvinus, the victor of the War of the Cousins. Over time the name Connorianople became used to describe the Archipelago as well as the nation that called it homeland. The formal name used to call citizens of the Republic and later the United Provinces is Connorianoplian, which is also used as an adjective to describe matters relating to the United Provinces. Often this is shortened to''' Connori''' or Conni, the former first being used by people from the nation of Agua del Fuego while the latter originated from the peoples of the Wentviska region in Aels. History Note: What follows is an attempt to organize Connori history within a logical timeline. However due to the peculiarities of the Nations Roleplay Universe, there will be several events with seemingly head-scratching chronology (eg. a post-modern Aelian war and a futuristic interstellar crisis being experienced at the same time by the Royal Government). It is entirely probable that Connori history and time is non-linear... Before 0 AD The first settlements of the Northeast Aelian Archipelago date to at least 40,000 BC. These belonged to the Diimortalians, generally agreed to be the oldest civilization in Aels, if not in all of Terra. By all accounts, the Diimortalians were an enlightened race with knowledge of technology, philosophy and culture far ahead of their time. Among other places, they flourished in the Northern Aelian regions. For reasons still unknown despite combing all available evidence and sources, the Diimortalians as a civilization seem to have dissappeared from the Archipelago at around 11,000 BC. For the next ten thousand years, no humanoid sapients would live in the Northeastern Archipelago. It is generally believed that due to the climate and the more dangerous fauna, the first Nukts and Denetherians did not settle long or avoided the Northeastern Archipelago when the first waves of them arrived at around 7,000 BC. The first humans to arrive and permanently settle in the Northeastern Archipelago would be Malayo-Polynesians from the Pacific, who first arrived in 780 BC. Various theories have been proposed as to how they arrived at a land extremely distant from their primary areas rather than settle in the Americas or even in Western Aels; all of which have been inconclusive at best. Regardless, they did arrive, and settle on the south-center-west islands of the Northeastern Archipelago. In 600 BC the Malay peoples, before a loose association of clans and villages known as barangay, began to confederate around a man only known to history as Bathal. Claiming to have received enlightenment and teaching from great dragons, he formed his peoples into what would become the Kingdom of Bathalana. The first civilization to take root in the Northeastern Archipelago in more than ten thousand years, the resultant Kingdom of Bathalana would claim as its capital what we now known as Neriziana, around the ruins where the dragons supposedly enlightened Bathal. Approximately 50-49 BC, a second group of settlers came to the Northeastern Archipelago whose history was much better-recorded. Led by a man remembered as Archmagos Mark Deimos, his group was composed of of a party of custodians and scholars from the Royal Library of Alexandria and their families and retinues. They were sent out sometime early 51 BC as one of the last decrees of the Pharoah Ptolemy XII. Their mission was to find ever-more knowledge to fill the Royal Library and explore the waters and lands beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar) in the name of their Library and Egypt, following on information passed to them by Phoenician traders, who spoke of a land they discovered beyond the Pillars 650 years ago. After a year of arduous sailing, the Archmagos and the survivors of his party (numbering around 500, from an original expedition of 1,500) finally made landfall on the east-most of the Northeastern Archipelago's islands. Stumbling upon another abandoned Diimortalian city, they ultimately settled there, naming their new home Markovinius after the Archmagos who led them here. Due to the distance between them, Markovinus never reestablished contact with Ptolemian Egypt, not knowing of each other's ultimate fates. 0 AD-1600 AD The next few centuries would see Bathalana and Markovinius grow separately into stable societies within the Archipelago and its nearby environs. In 220 AD, Markovinius expanded southward, ultimately colonizing and re-settling''' Karenelipolis', another Diimortalian relic city. Formal contact between the two polities was finally established in 800 AD, although surviving Bathalanan records from the time indicate that Bathalana was at least aware of Markovinius' existence. Although relations began warmly, disputes between the two over suzeranity of the Central Islands of the Archipelago resulted in the '''Markov-Bathal War' of 898 AD. This war only ended with the beginning of the first Viking raids in 900 AD, forcing the two polities to conclude an uneasy truce to fight off the new threat. For twenty-eight years, the two polities fought together to fight off the Vikings despite initial mistrust. This as well as slow trade links eventually resulted in the two polities forming an alliance in 929 AD. For the next five hundred years a period of relative peace descended upon the Archipelago, only occassionally disturbed by skirmishes with the future people of Anicka descended from the Vikings. 1517 AD saw the arrival of the third wave of settlers to the Diimortalian Archipelago. Led by General Jerick li Corvinus, this wave comprised the last remnants of the recently-destroyed Byzantine and Trebizond Empires. Originally gathered by Jerick's father Mikaelos li Corvinus '''to retake Constantinople, sanity and the fall of Trebizond led to Mikaelos and those he gathered to instead flee westward, dedicating themselves to preserve what little of Byzantine culture they still possessed or could still save. Eventually they left Europe for Aels on a small fleet of vessels paid with what riches they could afford to pare away, and arrived at the gates to Karenelipolis. Jerick passed away at the sight of the new land, but not before instructing his son Lazarus li Corvinus''' to lead his people to a new future. Initially treated with suspicion due to the Karenelipolians not having seen Byzantines before, Lazarus negotiated with the city's Matriarch Aridane (then also ruler of Markovinius), offering his and his soldiers' services and trade in exchange for a place his people could stay. Although Lazarus did manage to charm the Matriarch, Aridane was concerned with overcrowding in her city due to the sheer number of Byzantine refugees, so she offered them to take the Central Islands which had been left largely alone by both Bathalans and Markovinians due to the conditions of their old alliance. Thus they settled in a Central Island relic city we now know as Jericko. two years later Lazarus is crowned Basileus of his people, thus establishing the Basileia Corvinus, the Empire of Corvinus. This development outraged Bathalanan Datu Rinoya II; the Datu's Court had always assumed that the peace of the Treaty between his ancestors and the Markovinites demanded that settlement of the Central Islands be decided by his consent as well as that of the Markovinites. At first he demanded that the Corvinians pay him tribute as a condition for allowing them to remain in Jericko. Lazarus refused due to the simple fact that his people could not pay such a tribute in the immediate future. In 1523 AD the Datu sent a force of a thousand men to Jericko to "collect" from the Corvinians. In what would become known as the Battle of Jericko, Lazarus and his militia of 720 managed to defeat the Datu's warriors at the walls of Jericko. Firearms such as early muskets and arquebuses, used from the safety of the walls, played an important part at defeating the Datu's men who had not seen such weapons before. The survivors of the Bathalanan forces informed the Datu of the events, leading to him abandoning further attacks until he could counter the new weapons. 1600 AD-1800 AD In 1628, British settlers established a trading outpost on the northern edges of the Archipelago. Category:The Nations